Light, flat & fast...What round should I choose?

[JimP]

25-06, everything that the Creedmores want to be.

 

[DaddyFlip]

Here's the list of carts from the Hodgdon load data that I've filtered to meet your caliber and bullet weight criteria. Carts at the top of the list are the most powder charge efficient for the loads Hodgdon lists for their powders. That part doesn't mean much, but what it does say is that the 257 Weatherby and Roberts are DOGS compared to more modern (and not so modern) cartridges. Sadly, I decided to post the list before adding the 264 Win Mag to my database, but it's in the dog camp also.

 

[Flbt]

I bought myself a Bose SoundLink Max as a Christmas present to myself. I'm listening to the PodCasts you linked to as I type this. Very interesting & informative.



I'm a big fan of math. While the 6.5 CM might be the target of a lot of "man-bun" derision, the quantifiable numbers seem to indicate that the animal would have a different opinion of the viability of this cartridge if it gets shot by one. As long as it is used appropriately (it isn't a magical chambering), it can definitely be a good choice. Wide spread availability is a plus.



For reasons I can't explain, I've always had a bias against the Weatherby chamberings. But while researching this particular category, the numerous superlatives about the .257 Wby gave me pause & made me think that I might need to take a closer look at this particular chambering. It seemed like a good solution to a lot of my anticipated scenarios. I was curious how often it would get recommended & at this point in the thread, I think it's in the lead by a significant margin.



I passed on a 270 Win in a LH Sako 85 Bavarian at an attractive price because I thought it was too close & redundant to my LH Sako 85 Hunter in 30-06. Ever since then, I look back & think I may have made a mistake. It might have been a really good option to fill a slot in my safe. Doh!



Nice left-handed Ruger M77's with 24" barrels will appear on rare intervals. I've come close to buying a couple of them. I've seen a couple of LH Sako's but I wish their barrels were a bit longer than 22" for this particular cartridge. Maybe that shouldn't be a concern.

Thanks for all of the informed feedback! For me, no decision is complete until I overthink it & have way too much info.

I have heard that a lot of the weatherbey cartridge have problems when the out side temp is hot.
I do know a buddy’s 300wb mag did have problems when he was sighting in during the summer and his cartridge had been in the truck.

I with my rifle have never had a problem with the 257 wb and I used it a lot in the summer over soybean,corn and watermelon fields.
And all I use if weatherbey factory loads.

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

Was in a similar boat and went with a Circassian Ruger #1 in 25-06

 

[Russ16]

Here's the list of carts from the Hodgdon load data that I've filtered to meet your caliber and bullet weight criteria. Carts at the top of the list are the most powder charge efficient for the loads Hodgdon lists for their powders. That part doesn't mean much, but what it does say is that the 257 Weatherby and Roberts are DOGS compared to more modern (and not so modern) cartridges. Sadly, I decided to post the list before adding the 264 Win Mag to my database.

View attachment 734698

If efficiency is important that’s true but some of us just want raw speed sometimes.

 

[Flbt]

Here's the list of carts from the Hodgdon load data that I've filtered to meet your caliber and bullet weight criteria. Carts at the top of the list are the most powder charge efficient for the loads Hodgdon lists for their powders. That part doesn't mean much, but what it does say is that the 257 Weatherby and Roberts are DOGS compared to more modern (and not so modern) cartridges. Sadly, I decided to post the list before adding the 264 Win Mag to my database.

View attachment 734698

I have been told if you reload just get a 25-06
Not the 257 wb
That the factory loads are loaded with a powder that is not sold to handler

 

[odonata]

Here's the list of carts from the Hodgdon load data that I've filtered to meet your caliber and bullet weight criteria.

Before I posted my question, I went out to a popular ammo website & filtered by bullet weights just to satisfy my curiosity as to what was available. Here is a list of the most popular commercial options available with the choice count as the first option:

Count - Cartridge
01 - 26 Nosler
01 - 30-06 Springfield
02 - 240 Wby Mag
02 - 6.5x55 SE
03 - 250-3000 Savage
05 - 260 Remington
05 - 270 Winchester
05 - 7mm-08
06 - 308 Winchester
07 - 257 Roberts
09 - 6mm Remington
13 - 257 Wby Mag
18 - 6mm Creedmoor
23 - 6.5 Grendel
26 - 25-06 Remington
31 - 6.5 Creedmoor
40 - 243 Win

Was in a similar boat and went with a Circassian Ruger #1 in 25-06

I have four Ruger No. 1's & really like them a lot. But most of the 25-06 models I've seen are the B variant which I'm not as big of a fan of. It's a personal taste / bias thing. But I've seriously considered a LH 25-06 bolt action more than once.

 

[DaddyFlip]

If efficiency is important that’s true but some of us just want raw speed sometimes.

I agree; my list is provided in it's usual form as a convenience. Appears @odonata might be more interested in factory loads. I would choose a Grendel over a Creedmoor, a 25-06 over a Weatherby, and ANYTHING over a 243.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

As far as rifles go, I really have everything I require to do all the hunting I'm currently considering. While I don't need to buy any more firearms, unfortunately that doesn't negate the desire to add more of them to my safe.

I have this one small gap in my lineup that I keep telling myself doesn't need to be filled. But for reasons unknown, it annoys & my mind keeps returning to it. At the small varmint end I have a nice left-handed Cooper that is chambered in 22-250 Remington that I shoot 55gr bullets out of. Then there's a jump to my Ruger No. 1A chambered in 6.5x55 that I shoot 140gr Partitions from.

Because most of the hunting I do is at moderate distances in the brushy southeastern woods, the fact that I don't own a rifle chambered for something light, fast & flat-shooting that's bigger than my 22-250 hasn't really been a problem. But as I start to ease into retirement, I hope to expand my range a bit so I thought I would ask for some opinions so I can mull over some options. Here's the criteria:

I want the bullet to be in the 90~117gr range. Lighter or heavier than that & I have other options than a new rifle already available to me.

I want a rifle that is larger than 224 (22 cal) and smaller than 308. So 6mm, 243, 257, 6.5mm, 270, or 7mm would be good choices. While some of these are obviously appropriate for the projectile weight I'm interested in, I'm curious if anyone is doing something on the edges (e.g. How low can you go weight-wise with a 7x64 Brenneke?).

It would be nice if the bullet / caliber combo was good at taking something antelope-sized at longer distances than I currently hunt at. Based on my shooting ability & eyesight, I doubt I'll ever pull the trigger on anything that is over ~350 meters away except for a target. But I guess that might change based on ideal conditions or how flat the round shoots.

You get bonus points if the round you suggest is available in a left-handed rifle.

In the past, I've come close to buying a left-handed 25-06 on a couple of occasions only to pass for various reasons. A 257 Roberts has a nostalgic appeal but no one ever made a left-handed rifle in that chambering so I would have to rebarrel or get a custom (not a problem!). I pondered over a custom LH Cooper in 6mm-284 for a while because the price was really tempting but I hesitated because it was an uncommon chambering. I have eight falling blocks so I would prefer this to be a bolt action. Some of the larger calibers like the 270 or 7mm have some lightweight bullets like a 110gr Barnes but it would be nice to hear if someone is shooting something like that & how well it worked. I assume someone will recommend the 243 Winchester just to annoy @Bob Nelson 35Whelen. The ubiquitous 6.5 Creedmoor is a viable LH option but I feel like I would be slighting my beloved Swede if I bought one...change my mind.

So what are you going to want to do with it? Not that any reason is not a good excuse to get a new gun in my book, but if we knew what you wanted to.kill, we could probably be more helpful.

 

[odonata]

Appears @odonata might be more interested in factory loads. I would choose a Grendel over a Creedmoor, a 25-06 over a Weatherby, and ANYTHING over a 243.

I actually looked at the commercial offerings to mainly judge overall popularity of the various cartridges. Handloading a unique or uncommon chambering would not be a problem as long as components were available.

 

[odonata]

So what are you going to want to do with it? Not that any reason is not a good excuse to get a new gun in my book, but if we knew what you wanted to.kill, we could probably be more helpful.

What came first? The chicken or the egg?

Do you need to identify an intended specific target and then try to acquire the best rifle to shoot it with? Or do you acquire a rifle that is different from everything else you currently own & then try to determine an appropriate game to harvest with it? What comes first? The game or the rifle?

Sorry if I'm being overly philosophical about this but I have been drinking ranch water this evening (the tequila-based variant).

Basically I was looking for a cartridge that would work well on medium sized game (e.g. pronghorn) in more open country than I currently hunt in at longer distances. I wasn't looking for an elk rifle. I've got larger animals covered with rifles like my 375 H&H. I have lots of options for short & moderate ranges.

I was just trying to add more variety to my possible selections by identifying a smaller, lighter & faster round that was good at longer distances with less drop. This has more to do with experimentation & testing than actual need at the moment. While my career & children have limited what I can do & where I can hunt, that will hopefully change in the near future as my freedom from past obligations diminishes.

Having said all of that, a legitimate outcome of a thread like this is the realization that I may have adequate alternatives already that I should test out. But as I expected, so far all of the suggestions are chamberings that I currently don't own, so it's informative to find out more about them from other hunters who appreciate their capabilities.

 

[MontanaGrant]

.257 weatherby. A classic round unmatched in the .25 caliber market.

Dad swears by it, has killed a ton of game at all ranges, including incredibly long range. Bighorn sheep to prairie dogs.

He likes the 100 grain TSX bullet at 3700fps.

 

[odonata]

.257 weatherby. A classic round unmatched in the .25 caliber market.

There are a LOT of left-handed rifles in this chambering available. That's a plus!

 

['68boy]

My hands down favorite cartridge for anything but bear and moose is the .257 Wby. Here's why-- great ballistics, like almost flat for 300 yds then not much drop to 400 without loss of much energy, very manageable recoil, doesn't split your ears, and most importantly-- it works. I have personally never seen much meat spoiled by this round. Almost every animal I have shot has dropped immediately and that includes the largest elk I have ever shot (huge 6x6 in West Texas-- I was actually on an aoudad hunt in the Chinati Mountains when the elk appeared. I got the aoudad that afternoon.) I have shot a couple of elk with a .340 Wby and had them stand and stare at me til they got bored and died. The .257 flipped the sucker over with 4 feet pointed up and he was dead when he hit the ground. I wouldn't purposely take a .257 on an elk hunt but I used what I had (for the aoudad hunt) and it worked like a charm. Great on deer and pronghorn. Left hand available I'm pretty sure. Good luck! BTW the elk was 406 yards across a canyon-- negligible loss of energy.

 

[farmer_john]

Id recomend the 270. Its a proven winner and you can find ammo for it in every store in the US. And if you reload you csn get some amazing performance.

 

[cash_tx]

It sounds like to me, your original post is describing the 25-06 Remington to a tee. It fits your criteria splendidly; and with all due respect to the 257 Weatherby, the little bit of extra juice isn't worth the squeeze in terms of potential supply constraints. There are a number of cartridges that could meet your requirements, but none that stand significantly higher than the 25-06 on an all-around basis.

 

[DaddyFlip]

I have to agree with @cash_tx and @farmer_john that the 270 or 25-06 are the way, as mundane as those choices appear to be.

 

[Milo]

I vote for the 257 weatherby